(OTTAWA) The rector of the University of Ottawa issued an apology early Wednesday morning after the institution on Monday banned journalists from filming or recording a speech by the Chinese ambassador to Canada.
University officials also closed blinds in the building when protesters against the treatment of Uyghurs could be seen outside.
In a message sent on social networks, the rector Jacques Frémont admits that the decision taken at the last moment to prevent a cameraman from filming the conference was bad. The president apologizes to the news media concerned and says that the University of Ottawa should have done better to protect the freedom of the press.
The University of Ottawa initially explained that the Chinese speaker’s unannounced refusal to allow cameras put the event in jeopardy.
The institution had also undertaken to be clearer from now on with its speakers before the holding of events on the possible presence of electronic media.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the university made a mistake in banning cameras. He said that in Canada, everything is open to people who have a public profile and that the media must have access to it.
For his part, Conservative Party (CPC) MP Pierre Paul-Hus felt that the situation clearly demonstrated the stakes of China’s interference and interference in Canadian institutions. He added that it was difficult for him to blame the University of Ottawa who had to make a quick decision at the request of the Chinese Embassy, but in his opinion, Ambassador Cong Peiwu should be summoned by the government to let them know that in Canada such bans are not acceptable.
As for the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, he declared: “If you are looking for a place to go and challenge freedom of expression, freedom of education or freedom of the press, go to the University of Ottawa. »
New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh said freedom of the press is a fundamental right in a democratic society.